


Mr. Brightside

by Nutella_enthusiast



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Harry's barely in it I'm sorry, M/M, Masturbation, Phone Sex, Top!Niall, and now it's like 8000 words and super angst but w/e, bottom!Liam, songwriter!liam, started as a 2000 word fluffy hey there Delilah oneshot, uni student!niall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-27
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:20:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nutella_enthusiast/pseuds/Nutella_enthusiast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall's at uni in New York and Liam's at home in London, trying (and failing) to make it as a singer. And if that wasn't bad enough, Niall's new roommate is completely gorgeous and obviously gay and Liam's a little too paranoid for his own good.</p><p>Originally a fluffy Hey There Delilah songfic now I don't even know what it is</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Somewhere in London, a brown haired boy sits alone in a flat way too big for one, staring at a video of pixelated blonde boy on his computer screen. He sighs, trying not to cry. This is what Niall has always wanted, he thinks, to go to uni in the United States, and just because he's tied down almost 3,500 miles away in England with gigs and a manager and his dream doesn't mean that Niall has to follow that with him. 

 

"I miss you," he says anyways, because he does, and he can't help but say it even if it won't make anything better.

 

The blonde boy smiles. "It's been 19 hours Liam."

 

"That's 19 hours too many," says Liam, but he's smiling a bit too.

 

"It's only 87 days until Thanksgiving break," says Niall.

 

"87 days."

 

"87 days."

 

There is silence for a moment.

 

"How's New York?" Liam finally asks.

 

"It's huge," says Niall, laughing a little. He's always laughing. It's one of the things Liam loves most about him. "I got lost on the subway from the airport. I got off a stop early and had to walk a mile in the sun. How's Zayn and Harry?"

 

"Good. They came to see me this morning. We all agreed the flat doesn't feel right without you." He pauses. Then, "I wish you could be here with me."

 

"Me too Li. My room here is so small and white and plain. My flatmate's nice though. He's from Doncaster, so it's almost like having a piece of home here with me... Almost."

 

Silence again. Niall breaks it this time.

 

"I should go. I told Louis - that's my flatmate - that I'd go out for drinks with him and his mate Stan tonight. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

 

Liam almost asks if Louis is fit or not, before he thinks better of it. Besides, he's probably not even gay.

 

"I love you," he says instead.

 

"I love you too. And remember, just 87 days."

 

"87 days," says Liam, smiling, but the moment the screen goes dark he breaks down, falling to their - his - bedroom floor, tears streaming quickly down his face. It's only been 19 hours, he reminds himself. He shouldn't miss Niall this much.

 

When he wakes up the next morning he has a sore throat, a cramp in his back, and a bit of a melody bouncing around his head that just won't go away. He makes two cups of tea and writes down what he can before remembering that Niall's not there and pouring the second cup down the drain, watching the dark liquid swirl around slowly in that sink that barely ever worked before eventually disappearing.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Liam doesn't call Niall again for three days. He wants to give Niall some time to settle in, and besides, Niall had promised he'd call first. So he spends his days humming those 13 notes that he can't find any words for and his nights trying his hardest not to cry. He doesn't usually succeed.

 

When Niall finally calls, it's 9:30 PM in New York, which means it's 1:30 AM in London, and Liam's already been asleep for a few hours, but the sound of the Skype call on his laptop next to his bed jerks him awake. He is planning on just opening it and rejecting the call, assuming it's Harry, shitfaced and wanting to complain to him about the fact that he and Zayn have just hooked up again and that he's plenty pretty and finding love shouldn't be this hard.

 

He is not expecting to see Niall's name on the screen, or for his heart to race like a little kid's on Christmas morning. He clicks accept immediately and watches the video move into focus, his face stretching into a grin at the sight of his boyfriend.

 

"Ni," he says, his brain still not functioning quite well enough to make proper sentences.

 

"Oh, fuck," says Niall, but he's grinning too. "Did I wake you up? I didn't even stop to think about the time difference."

 

"Yeah, but it's okay. I'm just happy to see your face."

 

"You're a dork. I'll go, you should go back to sleep."

 

"No, stay. I want to know how your first day of classes went. That was today, right?"

 

"Yeah, it was awesome," Niall says, and then he starts telling Liam the story of his day, starting from right when he woke up all the way to this moment. Liam's only half listening, his mind still adjusting to being awake. He's never been much of a morning person, and he's even worse on only a few hours of sleep. 

 

"...so then Louis left to go buy more eggs and made me swear not to tell anyone about it, but I figure you don't really count as just anyone, but if you ever meet Louis you have to promise not to mention it," Niall finally finishes.

 

"Right," says Liam, nodding seriously. "To be honest, that won't really be an issue, because I only caught about half of what you were saying. I'm still mostly asleep. I'm glad your day went well though."

 

Niall laughs at him and his eyes crinkle up at the edges in that way that Liam loves so much. "I'll let you get back to sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm sorry I didn't call on Saturday like I promised by the way, it's just that Louis was around all weekend and I'm not quite ready to share you with anyone yet."

 

Liam's sure that if he grinned any wider his face would split in half. He should have known his worries were stupid and useless. "I love you," he says. "I love you so much."

 

"I love you too," says Niall, and he's grinning too. "Just 84 days 'till Thanksgiving break."

 

"84 days," says Liam.

 

"Goodnight Li."

 

"Goodnight Niall."

 

The screen goes dark, and within 5 minutes, Liam is asleep, clutching a pillow tight to his chest and a small smile stretching across his lips.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

It becomes a sort of tradition of theirs. After every call, Liam will tell Niall he loves him, and Niall will say it back and then he will say how many days are left until they can see each other.

 

~

 

"I love you Niall."

 

"I love you too. 81 days."

 

"81 days.

 

~

 

"I love you so much"

 

"I love you too Li. Just 76 days now."

 

"76 days."

 

~

 

"75 days."

 

~

 

"71 days."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

It's in early October when there's 55 days left that Liam finally meets Louis. And if he had been worried when Niall first mentioned him it is nothing compared to now, because Louis is definitely fit, with bright blue eyes and artfully messy hair with fringe that Liam could never pull off and and a stupid beautiful smile and a stupid beautiful face and he is so very charming and so very clearly gay that Liam wants to punch something.

 

They talk about nothing for about 5 minutes, and Niall and Louis bring up 3 inside jokes and Liam feels stupidly jealous.

 

"Well, we should probably go," says Louis eventually, and Liam almost sighs in relief until he remembers this means he can't see Niall anymore tonight.

 

"Sorry Li," says Niall. "We got invited to this party at the house of this senior that Louis knows and he said he wanted to meet me because Lou talks about me so much so I've got to make a appearance at least. I can call you later?"

 

Liam seriously considers it but he knows that Niall will probably get drunk at the party and will just need to sleep when he gets back. "No, it's already like 2 here. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

 

"Okay. Louis you go ahead outside, I'll be there in a minute."

 

"Okay mate. I'll be at Stan's, he's walking over with us. Oh, and Liam?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You've got a good one here. Don't let him go, he really loves you. Talks about you all the time. It gets to be a little disgusting sometimes honestly."

 

Liam blushes and he can tell, even over the poor quality webcam, that Niall is blushing too.

 

"Oh my god Louis shut up and go outside."

 

Louis acquieces, but Liam can see the smirk on his face as he shuts the door behind him.

 

"Sorry about him," says Niall, still blushing.

 

"Do you really talk about me that much?" asks Liam, and he's smirking too now.

 

"Well yeah," mumbles Niall, looking at his hands. "I love you."

 

"I love you too," says Liam, and how could he possibly worry about Niall and Louis? "I love you stupid amounts. Just 55 days now. Well, 54 for me."

 

"55 days."

 

Their lines are reversed this time, and Liam thinks it's almost more meaningful this way. Just this once.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Liam is woken at about 6 the next morning by his phone ringing and he rolls over, grabs it, and holds it up to his ear without opening his eyes.

 

"'Ello?" he grumbles into it.

 

"LiLi!" comes the loud, slurred response from the other line, and Liam would probably find this cute if he wasnt so tired.

 

"Niall," he sighs. "It's 6 in the morning."

 

"Sorry Liam," he giggles, and Liam can't help but find it cute, even if he doesn't want to. "I'm just at this party and Louis and his friend are off makin' sex and girls keep tryna dance wiv me but I don' wanna dance wiv dem Li, I juss wanna dance wiv you, so I snuck into dis empty bedroom and caled you, cuz yer my favorite. Did ya know that Li? Yer my favorite."

 

His accent gets thicker when he's drunk or tired, and god help Liam if it isn't the cutest thing he's ever heard.

 

"Just go home Niall. Drink some water and go to sleep."

 

"Wanna sleep wiv you."

 

"I want to sleep with you too Niall. Just 54 more days."

 

There is a pause for a moment, before Niall says, "whaddya think 'bout phone sex?"

 

Liam almost jumps, not expecting the conversation to be headed in this direction. Sure, they've had sex before, but they never really discussed what they were going to do about... Urges when they were an ocean away from each other.

 

Liam has always been a little weirded out by the idea of phone sex, but hearing Niall's voice all deep and gravelly makes it suddenly seem like the most normal idea in the world. "I-I think that sounds like it could be arranged," he says, and his voice cracks, something he might be embarassed about if Niall didn't sound like he'd just drunk enough alcohol to pickle an elephant.

 

"Good," purrs Niall. "Because I wanna take off yer shirt and lick yer stupid abs..."

 

Liam is embarrassingly, achingly hard already and he lets out a slight moan at the words, as poorly formed as they might be.

 

He can practically hear Niall's smirk.

 

"I wanna take off yer pants and-"

 

"Niall, stop," says Liam, and it's the hardest thing he may have ever done but at least he manages to keep his voice from cracking this time. "You're drunk. Go home, drink some water, and if you really want to then we can continue this tomorrow."

 

"Wanna con-tin-new it t'night," he mumbles, but he sounds like he's getting closer to falling asleep with every word. "Wanna take off yer pants and..." He trails off and Liam is pretty sure he's fallen asleep.

 

He hangs up the phone, trusting Louis to get him home, and sets it on his bedside table, almost subconciously palming at himself through his sweatpants. He lets out a breathy little noise, sliding his pants down to around his knees, gripping himself tightly at the base and sliding his hand up and down in one, two, three quick little strokes. He closes his eyes, throws his head back and lets out a moan, thanking god for the thick walls between his and his neighbor's flats, and takes in a deep shuddering breath. He slicks his hand with the precum leaking from his tip, and continues rubbing himself carefully, and quickly, trying to make this last as short an amount of time as possible. He slows down slightly, picturing Niall, licking up the side of his shaft, taking the tip in his mouth before bobbing his head one, two, three times, and Liam is coming, faster and harder than he has in months, almost doubled over, white spots dancing under his eyelids. 

 

He pulls his pants back up, and he knows he should try to get a little cleaned up before he goes back to sleep but it's 6 AM and he's only been asleep for about 4 hours and he's just too tired to care, so he closes his eyes, lays back on his pillows, and falls asleep with Niall's name on his lips.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Liam is woken again about 3 hours later by a loud knocking on his door. He's about to answer it when he remembers the dried come on his stomach and hurries to the bathroom instead, hoping that whoever is at the door will just stop knocking and come back later. He's not that lucky though, and when his phone starts ringing from the bedroom, he gives up, pulls on the first shirt he can find, runs a hand through his hair and goes to answer the door.

 

"Jesus Christ," says Zayn, the moment the door swings open. "I was beginning to think you died in there." He pauses, but before Liam can respond, he adds, "in a puddle of your own come by the smell of it."

 

"Oh my god Zayn, did you ever stop to consider that maybe I'd gone out, or, and here's a strange idea, I was asleep at 9 AM on a Saturday morning?" snaps Liam, blushing furiously.

 

"You haven't gone out in weeks Liam. You smell like desperation and depression. And when I say that, it's not a figure of speech. Seriously, go shower. And shave, you look ridiculous."

 

"Look who's talking," grumbles Liam, rubbing self-consciously at the stubble decorating his chin.

 

"I'll have you know that my stubble is a carefully cultivated art form. Yours just makes you look like a shitty songwriter who has been stuck on the same 13 notes with no words to them for the last month."

 

"Maybe that's because I am a shitty songwriter Zayn. And besides, how do you even know about the song?"

 

"I wouldn't exactly call it a song when it's about 10 seconds long. A jingle maybe. A jingle that you've been humming nonstop for weeks," says Zayn, pausing to hum the notes back to him. "Now go shower. I want to see that new movie Gravity and Harry wants to go bowling. We can even stop at that little Italian place that you love so much for lunch if you want, make a whole day of it."

 

Liam doesn't really want to make a whole day of it. He wants to stay home and miss his boyfriend and hum the same 13 notes over and over, but there's no way Zayn is letting him do that so he stops leaning on the door frame and walks back into the flat, Zayn trailing behind him.

 

"Just so you know, I was totally going to shower this morning, even if you hadn't come over with your loud knocking and sense of superiority!" he shouts as he walks into his bedroom to find some real clean clothes. He pretends to not notice that the shirt he grabs is Niall's.

 

"Don't forget to shave!" calls Zayn from the couch.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

By the time he gets home that night, after a movie, lunch, bowling, dinner, clubbing, and a fairly unhealthy dose of hating his life, Liam is too tired to even bother checking his laptop, simply falling into bed, not even bothering to kick off his jeans.


	2. Chapter 2

When he wakes the next morning, it's of his own accord this time, and he lays there for a moment, enjoying the peace of no knocking on the door or phone ringing before he rolls out of bed to take a shower. He's half hard, and he considers jerking off but decides he's just too damn lazy, so he turns the dial all the way to cold instead, hissing as his muscles, already sore from all the dancing Zayn made him do the night before, contract. He really needs to start going to the gym again.

 

He could start today, he thinks. It's only about 10 o'clock. Instead, he gets dressed and sits back down on his bed and pulls his laptop onto his lap. He has two missed Skype calls from Niall, but since it's only 6 there, he figures he should probably wait a while before calling back. Instead, he switches over to Facebook, and only hesitates for a few seconds before accepting a friend request from Louis Tomlinson. Once he makes his way past an inspirational cat posted by his aunt and several memes posted by people he went to school with who he didn't even talk to when he saw them every day, let alone now, he finds a series of pictures from the party of Friday, labeled "Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson were tagged in 34 photos in Stan Lucas's Album, 'gettin turnt with Grimmy'"

 

Liam snorts and begins looking through the photos, liking a few of Niall mixing drinks or making stupid faces at the camera, stoppping only when he reaches one of Niall planting a kiss on a grinning Louis' cheek, captioned "bitches can't resist the Tommo."

 

There's a comment from Louis too, who, upon further inspection, has set this photo as his profile picture, which just says, "what can i say? i'm irresistible ;)"

 

Liam switches over to Twitter, and it has nothing to do with the fact that he can't stand to look at Louis Tomlinson's stupid pretty face any longer. There's nothing happening on twitter so he switches over to tumblr, reblogs a few pictures of Darren Criss, and before he knows it it's 2 PM, he's hit post limit, and his stomach is crying out for food. Slowly, painfully, he tears himself away from his dashboard and makes himself some eggs and a cup of tea, finally used to cooking for just one.

 

There's no point in going back to tumblr once he's done eating so he grabs his guitar, strumming random melodies until he finds one that sounds good. He's halfway through writing the first verse when his computer starts ringing and he remembers he forgot to call Niall back.

 

He runs and grabs the laptop, guitar still in one hand, and places it on the table, opening it quickly and accepting the Skype call.

 

"Hey," he says grinning. "Sorry I didn't call you back, I was working on a song. You wanna hear what I have?"

 

"Yeah, sure," says Niall distractedly. "But I've gotta ask you something first."

 

"What's up?" asks Liam, a little worried.

 

"I've, uh, got a call in my phone to you from Friday night, and I honestly don't remember anything I said. Can you help me out a little?"

 

"Oh that," says Liam, laughing. "Well you said I was your favorite, and then you asked how I felt about phone sex."

 

"Damn Horan, that better be your boyfriend you're talking to!" comes another voice from across from Niall.

 

"Louis just put on some clothes and fuck off!" shouts Niall back. "I'm not as interested in your bum as you seem to think I am!"

 

"Oh please, everyone wants some of this!" shouts Louis, but by the sound of the door closing he had gone into the bathroom to change.

 

"Sorry 'bout that," says Niall. "Lou likes to walk around in just a towel a lot. I think he's hoping the hot hall monitor will come in and like what he sees."

 

"Right," says Liam, trying not to imagine Niall doing the same thing, hoping Louis will see him. It doesn't really work.

 

"So that song you're working on," says Niall, clearly trying to change the subject. Liam had almost forgotten about it. "Is it about me?"

 

"Do I write anything that isn't about you?"

 

"Just making sure you haven't found a new blonde Irishman to keep you warm at night."

 

"I could never."

 

"Lets hear it then."

 

"It's not very good."

 

"Like I could care. I've heard every shitty song you've written since Na Na Na, I think I can handle it."

 

"Hey, Na Na Na was a musical masterpiece!"

 

Niall laughs. "Just play the damn song Payne!"

 

Liam laughs too, but he lifts up the guitar and starts strumming gently.

___"I've tried playing it cool_

_But when I'm looking at you_

_I can't ever be brave_

_Cause you make my heart race_

 

_Shot me out of the sky_

_You're my kryptonite"_

He stops. "And that's all I have."

 

"That's awesome Li. And I'm not just saying that because I have to, it's one of the best things you've written in ages."

 

Liam smiles. "I can't figure out what to put next though."

 

"Hmm," says Niall, and Liam can see him physically shift into songwriting mode. He's never told anyone, but when Nialls helping him write songs is when he's most attracted to him. "Okay, what about

_You keep making me weak_

_I'm frozen and can't breathe."_

 

_"Something's gotta give now,"_

continues Liam.

 

_"Cause I'm dying just make you see."_

 

_"That I need you here with me now_

_Cause you've got that one thing."_

 

Niall grins. "Need me there with you, huh?"

 

Liam blushes. He's saved from having to answer though by him phone beginning to ring. "It's Simon," he says, glancing at the screen. "I should get this. I love you."

 

"I love you too. 52 days."

 

"52 days."

 

Liam is about to end the call when Niall stops him. "Liam, wait!"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"When I asked you about phone sex, what did you say?"

 

"I, uh, I said that'd be okay."

 

"Good," says Niall, smirking. "In that case, I'll call you back later."

 

Niall hangs up, and Liam stares at the screen, mouth slightly open, for so long that his phone goes silent in his hand and he has to call him manager back.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Liam," says Simon, the moment he answers the phone.

 

"Simon," says Liam, a little hesitantly. "Sorry I didn't pick up, I was talking to Niall."

 

"Of course, I understand. Young love and all that. I was actually calling to tell you I got you a gig. It's at a bar on Halloween, just you and your guitar."

 

"A-are you serious? Oh my god Simon that's amazing! Thank you so much!"

 

"Hey, it was your music they listened to, all I did was send it to them. You've gotta have 3 more songs by then though."

 

"Right. Three more songs. I can do that. Oh god I have to tell Niall he'll be so excited!"

 

"I'll call you in a week to see how you're doing, sound good?"

 

"Perfect. Okay. Bye!"

 

Liam is too eager to text Niall the good news that he doesn't even wait for a response.

 

_To Niall: "SIMON GOT ME A GIG ON HALLOWEEEENNNN OMGGGG MY FIRSTT REAL GIGGGG"_

 

He slips his phone into his pocket and is already halfway down to the lobby when it buzzes with a response.

 

**From Niall: "what, playing for me in ur bedroom in 11th grade doesn't count? im hurt, liam. srsly tho, congrats. u'll be great."**

 

Liam is halfway through typing a reply when a second text comes in

 

**From Niall: "btw - raincheck on our "date" later? Lou and i have a big test tomorrow"**

 

_To Niall: "No prob. Thnx and good luckkkk. Its a songwriting week so ill call u saturday"_

 

Liam is too pumped about the concert to even bother thinking about the possible implications of Louis and Niall studying together. Instead, he practically runs to the music store to buy some new guitar picks since he's lost all of his, then stops by the convenience store for some more tea and a box of frozen waffles, and scuttles back to his flat to barricade himself inside and write songs for a week straight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much just pure smut ngl  
> Sorry if it's bad I've never written smut before

There are some times when Liam's really glad he doesn't have a regular job, and this is one of them. He just locks himself into his flat, curls up with his guitar, and has no contact with the outside world besides a text from Niall that says

**From Niall: "got a B+!"**

 

and a conversation with Zayn that consists of

 

**_From Zayn: "Wanna chill tonight?"_ **

 

_To Zayn: "songwriting week. ask again later"_

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

By the end of the week, he is exhausted, has cuts on all of his fingers from his guitar strings, and has very little to show for his efforts, so the phone ringing offers him a welcome respite.

 

"Hello?" he answers, glancing at the clock to see that it has officially been Saturday for one minute and all he's accomplished this week was completing half of one song that he had already started.

 

"Oh thank god Liam I need you."

 

"What? Oh my god Niall, what's wrong?" he asks, alarmed at his boyfriend's tone. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I call a doctor? Remember it's 911 in America, not 999."

 

Niall laughs and Liam is half relieved and half annoyed. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just... I'm so fucking horny Li. And Louis' been in the flat all week so I haven't had any time for a good wank and he finally left an hour or so ago but you told me it was a songwriting week so I waited until it was technically Saturday there but I just want you so bad Liam. I can't wait any more."

 

Liam sucks in a deep breath and can physically feel the blood flowing downwards at Niall's words. "God, I want you too Niall. I miss you so much."

 

"What would you do to me Liam? If I was there I mean."

 

"Remember when we first got the flat and I picked you up and kissed you up against the door? I want to do that again. I want to carry you into the bedroom and give you lovebites on every inch of your neck so no one ever doubts that you're mine. I want to get you out of that stupid polo you're probably wearing and give you lovebites on your hipbones too, just for us to see." Liam has no idea what he's doing, but if the little whimper he lets out is anything to judge by, Niall seems to be enjoying it.

 

"Fuck," breathes Niall, slowly. "I took off my polo. It's the red one - that one you love so much."

 

Liam groans a little and palms at himself through his trousers. He's already mostly hard, and he holds the phone to his ear as he sets down his guitar and walks into the bedroom, pulling off his shirt on his way there and leaving it on the floor somewhere in the middle of the hallway. "God you look so good in that shirt."

 

"Not as good as you look without one," and just the sound of Niall's voice, getting deeper like it always does when he's turned on, has Liam the rest of the way to getting hard. "I want to lick whipped cream off of your stupid abs. Fuck, on second hand, I would lick anything off your stupid abs."

 

Liam chuckles a little.

 

"Hey!" protests Niall. "Stop that!"

 

"I'm sorry, you're just so cute," chuckles Liam.

 

"Will I be cute when I'm licking your come off your abs, swallowing every bit of it until you're clean again?"

 

Liam's chuckles die in his throat and his hand goes back down to his dick, palming himself with a little more purpose this time.

 

"Are you touching yourself?" asks Niall, voice low.

 

Liam nods for a moment before remembering Niall can't see him and choking out, "yes."

 

"Are your pants still on?"

 

"Yes," he chokes again.

 

"Take them off," says Niall, and Liam wastes no time in obeying.

 

"Are they off now?" he asks a few moments later.

 

"Yes," says Liam, and he thinks that's the only thing he can say right now, and everything is NiallNiallNiall as he grabs at himself tightly, almost frantically.

 

"Are you touching yourself again?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Stop."

 

"What?" asks Liam, freezing.

 

"Take your hands off your dick. I want you to finger yourself for me. Can you do that, Liam?"

 

Liam lets out a quiet moan, which Niall takes as an invitation to keep going. "Now put me on speakerphone and then get that lube out from your bedside table and cover your fingers with it," says Niall, and Liam loves this demanding, dominating side of Niall that he hasn't seen or heard in months. "Have you done that yet?"

 

Liam grabs the lube and slicks down his fingers with it, warming it between his hands. "I-I've done it," he stutters, wanting desperately to touch himself, just to get that little bit of friction.

 

"God I want to touch you," hisses Niall through gritted teeth and Liam is rubbing at his erection again before he can even stop himself. He tries to be quiet, to not let Niall know he's disobeying him, but he can't stop the small moan from escaping his mouth at the touch. "Stop that!" snaps Niall, and Liam stops, groaning at the loss of touch and warmth. "Now finger yourself for me babe. I want you to finger yourself until you're wide open and begging for me."

 

Liam lets out a little gasp as he slips his first finger inside himself, past the ring of muscle, just far enough in to feel the tiniest bit of a stretch. He usually wouldn't be so careful but it's been so long since he's done this and Niall is so much better at it anyways.

 

He slides his finger in further, trying to keep his breathing even as his finger brushes against his walls, gritting his teeth. He slides in another finger, and it burns a little as he stretches even more, body growing used to the sudden pressure. He moans, quietly, and Niall does too, and he can just barely hear the slap of skin on skin over the phone, so he slips in the tip of another finger, and it's burning now, but it's a good burn, a good stretch and everything is Niall and those beautiful little sounds he's making from the other line.

 

Liam's fingers are all the way in now, and he flexes them a little, gasping when he feels them brush against his prostate, curling in on himself to keep that angle, white spots dancing in the edges of his vision.

 

"How many fingers?" asks Niall, breathless, almost panting, and Liam can picture a single bead of sweat dripping down his temple like it always does when they're together like this.

 

"Three," he breathes out, and his voice sounds just as wrecked as Niall's, if not more so, and his other hand keeps drifting up towards his dick. "Fuck, can I touch myself now? Please."

 

"Is your laptop nearby? Can you skype me? I want to see your face when you come."

 

Liam doesn't even bother replying, just hangs up and grabs his laptop from beside him as quickly as he can and pulls it forward. He opens skype and calls Niall, who answers immediately. Liam was right about the drop of sweat, and he wants to lean forward and kiss it away, so he tells Niall that, and Niall groans, his hand down below the camera.

 

"Fucking hell Liam," he moans, and Liam moves a little, moaning too as his fingers brush his prostate again. "Touch yourself now, but angle the camera so I can see it. I want to see every inch of you."

 

Liam carefully pulls out his fingers, gasping at the sudden cold, and moves his laptop to his desk, moving back to his bed and spreading his legs wide so Nialll can see all of him. He rubs at himself in quick, even strokes, breathing loudly, and he can already feel the orgasm building in his abdomen, the warmth spreading through him, and before he can say anything he's coming, and he's gasping for air and Niall is swearing and breathing hard too.

 

"You're so fucking hot Li. I want you here so bad."

 

"I want to kiss every part of you until all you can feel is my lips and all I can taste is you," says Liam, and it's probably the cheesiest thing he's ever said but it sends Niall tumbling over the edge too so he doesn't really care. They sit there for a few minutes, silent, breathing hard and sweat soaked, until Liam finally says, "I love you."

 

"I love you too," breathes Niall, and his voice is wrecked, and if Liam were still 17 he'd probably be getting hard again already. "47 days."

 

Liam smiles. "47 days."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Maybe not so surprisingly, the phone sex helps. It makes Liam happier, less paranoid, and even Zayn notices a difference. He's started shaving and showering regularly, leaving the house more than once a week, even if it is just for a cup of tea down the street, and finally - finally - he's writing songs again. He finishes "One Thing," the song he had been working on with Niall, and moves on to upbeat, poppy things, with names like "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Gotta Be You" and "Kiss You." He still hasn't put words to the 13 notes, and he thinks what he has been writing is complete shit, honestly. He's pretty sure Simon doesn't think they're much better either, but he knows they'll sell - or they would if he had any sort of real following that consisted of more than his two best friends and his mother.

 

On the plus side though, Zayn, Harry and his mother love the songs, and Niall loves them even more, and sometimes he makes Liam play them for him shirtless over Skype while Niall jerks off slowly to the beat of the music. It's kind of odd, Liam supposes, but Niall seems to enjoy it and that's all that matters to him.

 

By the time Halloween rolls around (28 days), they're better than ever, Liam has more than just the three songs he needed, and his insecurities and worries about Louis are down to almost nonexistent.

 

But then Halloween rolls around.


	4. Chapter 4

Niall Skypes him at about 10:15 London time, 6:15 New York time, just before he's about to go on stage for his set, and he can't help but laugh when he sees him. He's wearing an honest to god white corset, feathery wings, a halo, and... "Are those fake eyelashes?"

 

Niall laughs. "Yeah, they're awful. Don't ever do it."

 

"You look amazing. A little ridiculous, but amazing. I can't wait until you come home so I can take that corset off of you myself."

 

Niall hums happily. "Preferably with your teeth."

 

"I'm not sure if I'm quite that handy with my teeth. I'll do my best though."

 

"You'll do your best. God that's hot," says Niall sarcastically.

 

"Fuck off," says Liam, but he's laughing, and his nerves about the show are all but gone. 

 

"You think if I paid Zayn he'd Skype me and hold up his phone so I can hear you play?"

 

"You'd probably have better luck with Harry, you clearly underestimate Zayn's laziness. But you should go to your party, have fun. I think Harry's planning on recording most of it anyways so it should be on Facebook soon."

 

"Fine," grumbles Niall. "I just feel like an awful boyfriend, missing your first real gig and everything."

 

"What, playing to you in my bedroom in 11th grade doesn't count?" asks Liam, and Niall laughs, surprised Liam even remembers him saying that.

 

Their conversation is interrupted by the door opening to Niall's flat and Liam actually sees Louis walk in this time since Niall is sitting at his desk instead of on his bed. He's dressed in a tight black tank top, red skinny jeans, buckled black boots, and devil horns, and there's no doubt what his costume is supposed to be.

 

"A-are you two...?" stutters Liam, gesturing between Niall and Louis.

 

"Huh? Oh yeah, pretty awesome, huh?"

 

"Want some advice?" asks Louis, leaning over the phone behind Niall. "Give that hot curly haired thing behind you my number."

 

"Don't let Louis corrupt poor innocent Harry, no one deserves that," says Niall, adjusting his halo. "Actually, on second thought, you should definitely give Harry his number. I bet they'd totally hit it off."

 

And then somehow Liam has Louis' number, and Louis is saying that if Liam has his number then he better get Liam's number too and then he's promising to text him updates every half hour to make sure Niall's behaving and drinking water between every alcoholic drink.

 

Before Liam can say anything else, Harry is walking up to him, telling him he's on in five minutes, and he's freaking out again. 

 

"Babe, calm down!" shouts Niall at him. "It's fine, everything's fine, you've played all of these songs for me like a hundred times, you'll do great. If I weren't across the ocean from you I'd slap some sense into you."

 

"I'll do it!" shouts Zayn from behind him.

 

"Shut up Zayn!" shouts Harry, Niall and Liam in unison, and Liam laughs and it's almost like Niall's back at home and everything is going to be okay.

 

Then Louis says, "Well you should probably go play your show, and we should go to our party. And you should call me," he adds, winking at Harry, who blushes and hurries off. And Liam is honestly a little embarrassed that he's being so paranoid because Louis and Niall are clearly not interested in each other, but it doesn't stop him from worrying about the stupid matching costumes all through his set. It technically goes well, he guesses, and the few people who are there clap after all his songs, and when he gets home he has two new followers on twitter and one mention that says "saw @ljpaynelondon at fly on the wall tonight. songs were good but he was hella boring 6/10"

 

This is the time that Simon would say "All publicity is good publicity," but Liam's pretty sure this isn't good publicity. He hopes that maybe tomorrow things will get better, but for now, he just wants to take off these too tight skinny jeans that Zayn forced him into, crawl into bed, and sleep for a few weeks. He's asleep the moment his head hits the pillow, but his plan is interrupted at about 6 in the morning by his phone ringing and he really needs to start putting his phone on silent at night. He rolls over and hits ignore, not even bothering checking who it is. It rings again about 10 minutes later and he turns it off this time, throwing it down onto his clothes from the night before and burying his face back into his pillows.

 

He forgets about his phone until around noon the next Day when the doorbell rings as he's sitting at his table eating a bowl of cereal without really tasting it and staring at the wall without really seeing it.

 

"Hey Zayn," he says as he opens the door and his friend shoves past him. "Just come on in, really, it's fine."

 

"Sorry I've been texting you all morning but you weren't picking up and you really need to see this," says Zayn, running a hand through his hair, and Liam knows that it's serious because Zayn doesn't risk messing up his hair unless he's seriously stressed out.

 

"My phones been off since someone called me at about six this morning, what's going on?" asks Liam, steering Zayn over to the table and sitting him down. "Is this about that blonde that you met at the bar last night?"

 

"No, Li, it's not about my love life. It's about yours."

 

"Mine? What's going on with my love life that you would know about?"

 

"Everyone knows about it Liam, it's all over Facebook."

 

"What the hell are you talking about Zayn?"

 

"Just," Zayn takes in a deep breath. "Just go get your phone. Maybe he's texted you."

 

"Maybe he's texted me? Did Niall do something? Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

 

"No, he's not hurt. Not yet at least," he grumbles, cracking his knuckles and Liam gives up trying to find out what's happening and just goes to get his phone. 

 

He powers it up and there are 3 more missed calls and 12 texts from Niall, 4 calls and 3 texts from Zayn, 2 texts from Harry, 7 texts from Louis, 1 text from Simon, and 3 new voicemails.

 

Simon's just telling him that the show went well, and Zayn and Harry are just asking him if he's seen the pictures on Facebook, so he switches over to the texts from Louis, stomach churning.

 

From Louis: "ur boys gettin crunk"

From Louis: "ur boy real crunk"

From Louis: "im prety crunk toooo"

From Louis: "crejinervijnervojn;;;;;;;;;;;"

From Louis: "shit. I ducked up"

From Louis: "fucked up"

From Louis: "fuck"

 

This doesn't make any sense to Liam, so he goes to the texts from Niall. This is what he's the most worried about, but even these don't really explain what's going on.

 

**From Niall: Break a leg, love u soooooooooooo much**

**From Niall: is break a leg right for concerts?**

**From Niall: I don't care. Break a leg anyways**

**From Niall: just don't let Harry get too drunk and break his leg**

**From Niall: i thnk I might break my leg**

**From Niall: o hat was one drink too many sow**

**From Niall: wow**

**From Niall: Shetland**

**From Niall: shit**

**From Niall: I diud a baaaaaad thinfg**

**From Niall: call me baccck li**

**From Niall: I ddint wnat to I promiise**

 

Liam gives up, skips over the voicemails and goes straight to his Facebook, where the first thing he sees is a photo of Niall and Louis kissing. It's not just a friendly peck on the lips either, this is full on, tongue in mouth, arms around each other snogging. He's staring at his phone in shock, having completely forgotten about Zayn in the kitchen, when it starts ringing shrilly, telling him that Niall is calling - again.

 

He briefly considers not answering it, and just packing up his things and moving to Russia or somewhere equally far away but not quite as cold and never talking to anyone ever again, but he thinks that would probably be too much work, so instead he presses accept and holds it up to his ear, a little surprised by how rough his voice sounds when he croaks out the word, "hello?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapters really short, but this just seemed like the best place to end it. Or worst I guess, depending on who you ask...


End file.
